Charles I Exeter Joined Oak Armchair

An Exeter regional oak armchair, boldly carved and in an exceptional state of preservation. The backrest is dominated by a finely worked panel of interlacing scrolls and foliate tendrils, enclosing a central rosette, framed above by a carved band of repeating heart motifs – a distinctive Exeter feature. The design demonstrates the strong influence of continental strapwork patterns, but reinterpreted through the robust vernacular idiom of the West Country.
The uprights and arms are substantial, the latter with scrolled handrests, while the column-turned legs are joined by moulded seat rails and plain stretchers. The construction and ornament strongly support an Exeter attribution, where a cluster of highly distinctive joiners were active in the early 17th century, producing work noted for its rhythmic scroll carving and heraldic motifs.
Chairs of this type appear in early 17th-century Exeter inventories, where they are described as “ioyned cheares” and often reserved for prominent display in parlours or halls.